RESTORATIVE MEDIATION
When the working relationship has broken down.
Confidential. Structured. Built for lasting resolution.
Workplace conflict between two or three people rarely resolves on its own. Left unaddressed, it affects not just the individuals involved but the team around them — morale, productivity, culture, and the confidence of leaders who are watching and unsure what to do next.
Restorative Mediation is a structured, two-day process that goes to the root of the conflict rather than managing its surface. It is not a quick fix, and it is not conventional mediation. It is a process that produces outcomes which hold — not just in the days after, but months and years later.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Is this the right process for your situation?
This process is well suited when:
- Two or three individuals are in entrenched conflict that has not resolved through informal management or HR intervention
Both parties need to continue working together — the relationship is ongoing - A formal complaint or performance process has not produced resolution, or risks escalating matters further
Leadership has identified that the conflict is affecting team morale, culture, or productivity - The parties are willing — even if reluctantly — to engage in a genuine process
It is not the right process where serious misconduct is being investigated, where active legal proceedings are underway, or where one party poses a safety risk to the other. For team-wide conflict involving four or more people, Group Restorative Mediation is the appropriate intervention.
THE DIFFERENCE
This is not mediation as you may have experienced it
Most workplace mediation aims for a negotiated agreement — a set of undertakings that gets people back to work and out of an uncomfortable situation. That has its place. But it rarely addresses what actually drove the conflict, and it rarely produces outcomes that hold beyond the short term.
Restorative Mediation works differently. Rather than focusing on positions and agreements, it focuses on understanding — how the conflict developed, what each person's genuine experience has been, and what each has contributed to where things have arrived. The result is not just an agreement. It is a genuine shift — in perspective, in relationship, and in what becomes possible.
THE PROCESS AT A GLANCE
What the two days involve
The process is described in full on the How It Works page.
Day 1: Individual Sessions
Ruth meets privately with each party for two to three hours in a confidential session. Each person is heard fully — not just the facts, but the feelings and perceptions underneath them. Each person leaves with specific questions to reflect on overnight.
Between Day 1 & 2: The overnight space
The gap between Day 1 and Day 2 is deliberate and essential. It is where initial, self-protective responses give way to something more honest. What people are ready to acknowledge at the start of Day 2 is frequently very different from where they ended Day 1.
Day 2: The joint session
Both parties come together in a carefully structured environment. Ruth guides them through conversations that shift perspective, rebuild understanding, and move the relationship forward — not by assigning blame, but by creating genuine dialogue.
Outcome: The shared statement of intention
The process closes with both parties co-authoring a written agreement about how they will work together going forward — a living document they have created together, genuinely own, and will return to as things evolve.
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK
In their own words
“Ruth, thank you sincerely for the professionalism, care, and expertise you brought to the mediation process. Your ability to guide discussions with calmness, fairness, and respect created a space where I believe made us feel genuinely heard and understood. The thoughtful way you managed each stage of the process helped maintain focus and encouraged constructive dialogue throughout.
I am truly grateful for the integrity and dedication you demonstrated. Thank you again for your excellent work."
Participant - Mayor - NSW Local Council - Restorative Workplace Mediation
"The model for this process was excellent. The opportunity to speak privately with Ruth on Day 1 was very helpful. Working through the questions together on Day 2 provided an excellent platform to break down the tension, self-reflect, and hear each other from a different and more positive perspective."
Participant - Restorative Mediation
"I feel so much better having talked through our differences. Many of the things I thought were so important were not and I feel confident that we will be able to work it out now from this new and lofty platform. You have shown us that there is an easier way. "
Participant - Restorative Mediation
"Ruth ran the mediation sessions with the utmost professionalism and care. We are very grateful for the work she has done for us and would not hesitate to call on her again if needed."
Client - Restorative Mediation
WHAT NEXT?
How to engage Ruth
The first step is a confidential consultation — a conversation with Ruth about your situation, whether this process is the right fit, and what it would involve for your organisation. Ruth will give you an honest assessment and outline exactly what the two days entail, who pays, and what you can expect.
Ruth works with organisations of all sizes and across all sectors. She is based in Byron Bay, NSW, and available nationally.